To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed the entire object, paste this HTML in websiteTo link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed this page, paste this HTML in website

Computers are increasing being used as a vehicle for information storage photo by Johnise-Dupree
Computers: Uteracy
and Jobs
Darryl J. Davis
As f recall, the term "literacy" was
receiving growing attention in the mid
to late 70's. I was in high school at that
time when proficiency tests came into
vogue. As with most subjectS which
tend to elevate our blood pressure, the
discussion of literacy leads to mixed
emotions.
On the one hand it is beneficial for
the population at large to be abreast of
various techniques and technologies
since this has a tendency to raise our
standard of living. On the other hand
literacy, or the lack thereof, introduces
feelings of guilt fostered by society's
failure to keep pace with a constantly
changing world. The real push for com­puter
literacy began around 1980; per­sonal
computers were becoming a hot
item.
Undoubtably, some people wonder,
"Why do we need to be computer­wise?"
The answer is simple: We must
be able to extract, manipulate, and in­terpret
information from computers
since they are being increasingly used
as a vehicle for information storage.
Remember, information is power. No
information, no power. We all should be
able to walk into a library, store, or
government building and use their pub­lic
·access terminal to uncover the trea­Mes
it holds. This ability comes from a
basic familiarity with computers: famil­iarity
with the keyboard, navigating
through the menu screens, and re­questing
help from the machine.
I believe a computer-literate person
should be familiar with the overall orga­nization
of a computer system. He or
she should understand the basic func­tions
of the various machine compo­nents.
A knowledge of mathematics
and "computer logic" is a definite asset
While most people ~ we need to
be computer-literate, few souls can
pgree on how literate we should be.
Some optimistic souls maintain that a
reasonable level of literacy would entail
being able to sit down at a terminal and
write a program to solve the problem at
hand. I have a problem with this idea.
Programming, or perhaps good pro­gramming,
is a deceptively complex
skill. For this reason we have profes­sional
programmers. Maybe program­ming
skills will be second nature to
computer literacy in the future, but they
are unnecessary at present What is
necessary is an aquaintance with pro­gramming
so people can understand
how the machine goes about its job of
computing,
The Information Systems Concepts
course offered by the School of Busi­ness
(BUS 260) gives an excellent intro­duction
to computer systems. This
course teaches a blend of history, pro­gramming,
and general usage of the
machine. The Computer Science de­partment
offers a similar course. BUS
260 has changed immensely for the
better since I took the course in 1981.
At that time, the course had a strong
emphasis on programming. Now the
course examines the more global as­peets
of computing. Could this be a
result of changing times?
People who work in the computer
profeSSion are often asked, "Can you
make a lot of money in computers?"
Yes, you can earn a considerable salary,
but you must be genuinely fascinated
by computers and enjoy working with
them. I strongly advise against people
entering this profession solely for the
potential monetary rewards.
Most Information Systems students
can tell you about their spending count­less
hours at a terminal while working
on one programming assignment I can
recall days when I began working at a
terminal before sunrise and did not
leave the building until long after the
sun had set; I never saw daylight You
have to be motivated by enjoyment (or
!a similar emotion) to be able to do this
1 for a living.
People who enjoy working with com­puters
find it is an enjoyable profession.
Persons with a college education, extra­curricular
data processing interests,
and hopefully, a little work experience
may find quick employment, relatively
high starting salaries, and opportunities
for advancement
Aunkbusters: Foes of
FaDure
Joy Jones
''I'm not about F's, I'm about A's and
B's,
My main goal in life is the T-O-P.
I want to make my dream reality, And
if you feel the same, why don't you
join me.
Flunkbusters. Flunkbusters."
These lines are from the rap
"Flunkbusters", part of the campaign of
the same name. Bryan Ford and Garett
Clark are responsible for the creation of
the song, and Kenneth Holmes is re­sponsible
for the origination of the
campaign. Jean Dyer and Kevin Butler
assist Mr. Holmes.
The campaign is aimed to promote
academic achievement among failing
students. In an effort to help students
bust those F's, the program gives in­struction
in math and English. To attack
the ever increasing problem of absen­teeism,
Flunkbusters calls for checking
students' attendance, and if necessary,
home visits are made. The campaign
not only concentrates on students, but
parents as well. They sponsor a Parent
Orientation, Educational celebrations,
and local events.
The flunkbusters are working to stamp out failure
The Flunkbusters campaign has the
support of such agencies as the Rich­mond
Education Association, the Office
of the Superintendent, and the Office of
the Governor. The mayor of Richmond,
Roy West, endorses the program, he
even declared November 17-23 as
Flunkbuster's Week. The media has
also given Flunkbusters the stamp of
approval. WPLZ Magic 99 FM, and
WRVQ Q 94 FM, are among several
radio stations that have played the
Flunkbusters rap or ran public service
announcements.
Also involved in the Flunkbusters
campaign are WWBT 12, WXEX TV8,
and WTVR TV6, these tv channels,
along with many others in the area have
featured the campaign on talk shows,
released news bulletins, and ran com­mercials.
The Flunkbusters slogan is done in
the famous "Ghostbusters" fashion, it is
an "F" enclosed in a circle with a slash.
The slogan is on posters, buttons, and
T-shirts. It is hoped that the campaign
will catch on not just in the Richmond
area, but statewide and ultimately na­tionwide
as well. So if your grades don't
look good, who you gonna call?
FLUNKBUSTERSI
REFl.E~OI'lS II'III'IK -Page 1
..

Computers are increasing being used as a vehicle for information storage photo by Johnise-Dupree
Computers: Uteracy
and Jobs
Darryl J. Davis
As f recall, the term "literacy" was
receiving growing attention in the mid
to late 70's. I was in high school at that
time when proficiency tests came into
vogue. As with most subjectS which
tend to elevate our blood pressure, the
discussion of literacy leads to mixed
emotions.
On the one hand it is beneficial for
the population at large to be abreast of
various techniques and technologies
since this has a tendency to raise our
standard of living. On the other hand
literacy, or the lack thereof, introduces
feelings of guilt fostered by society's
failure to keep pace with a constantly
changing world. The real push for com­puter
literacy began around 1980; per­sonal
computers were becoming a hot
item.
Undoubtably, some people wonder,
"Why do we need to be computer­wise?"
The answer is simple: We must
be able to extract, manipulate, and in­terpret
information from computers
since they are being increasingly used
as a vehicle for information storage.
Remember, information is power. No
information, no power. We all should be
able to walk into a library, store, or
government building and use their pub­lic
·access terminal to uncover the trea­Mes
it holds. This ability comes from a
basic familiarity with computers: famil­iarity
with the keyboard, navigating
through the menu screens, and re­questing
help from the machine.
I believe a computer-literate person
should be familiar with the overall orga­nization
of a computer system. He or
she should understand the basic func­tions
of the various machine compo­nents.
A knowledge of mathematics
and "computer logic" is a definite asset
While most people ~ we need to
be computer-literate, few souls can
pgree on how literate we should be.
Some optimistic souls maintain that a
reasonable level of literacy would entail
being able to sit down at a terminal and
write a program to solve the problem at
hand. I have a problem with this idea.
Programming, or perhaps good pro­gramming,
is a deceptively complex
skill. For this reason we have profes­sional
programmers. Maybe program­ming
skills will be second nature to
computer literacy in the future, but they
are unnecessary at present What is
necessary is an aquaintance with pro­gramming
so people can understand
how the machine goes about its job of
computing,
The Information Systems Concepts
course offered by the School of Busi­ness
(BUS 260) gives an excellent intro­duction
to computer systems. This
course teaches a blend of history, pro­gramming,
and general usage of the
machine. The Computer Science de­partment
offers a similar course. BUS
260 has changed immensely for the
better since I took the course in 1981.
At that time, the course had a strong
emphasis on programming. Now the
course examines the more global as­peets
of computing. Could this be a
result of changing times?
People who work in the computer
profeSSion are often asked, "Can you
make a lot of money in computers?"
Yes, you can earn a considerable salary,
but you must be genuinely fascinated
by computers and enjoy working with
them. I strongly advise against people
entering this profession solely for the
potential monetary rewards.
Most Information Systems students
can tell you about their spending count­less
hours at a terminal while working
on one programming assignment I can
recall days when I began working at a
terminal before sunrise and did not
leave the building until long after the
sun had set; I never saw daylight You
have to be motivated by enjoyment (or
!a similar emotion) to be able to do this
1 for a living.
People who enjoy working with com­puters
find it is an enjoyable profession.
Persons with a college education, extra­curricular
data processing interests,
and hopefully, a little work experience
may find quick employment, relatively
high starting salaries, and opportunities
for advancement
Aunkbusters: Foes of
FaDure
Joy Jones
''I'm not about F's, I'm about A's and
B's,
My main goal in life is the T-O-P.
I want to make my dream reality, And
if you feel the same, why don't you
join me.
Flunkbusters. Flunkbusters."
These lines are from the rap
"Flunkbusters", part of the campaign of
the same name. Bryan Ford and Garett
Clark are responsible for the creation of
the song, and Kenneth Holmes is re­sponsible
for the origination of the
campaign. Jean Dyer and Kevin Butler
assist Mr. Holmes.
The campaign is aimed to promote
academic achievement among failing
students. In an effort to help students
bust those F's, the program gives in­struction
in math and English. To attack
the ever increasing problem of absen­teeism,
Flunkbusters calls for checking
students' attendance, and if necessary,
home visits are made. The campaign
not only concentrates on students, but
parents as well. They sponsor a Parent
Orientation, Educational celebrations,
and local events.
The flunkbusters are working to stamp out failure
The Flunkbusters campaign has the
support of such agencies as the Rich­mond
Education Association, the Office
of the Superintendent, and the Office of
the Governor. The mayor of Richmond,
Roy West, endorses the program, he
even declared November 17-23 as
Flunkbuster's Week. The media has
also given Flunkbusters the stamp of
approval. WPLZ Magic 99 FM, and
WRVQ Q 94 FM, are among several
radio stations that have played the
Flunkbusters rap or ran public service
announcements.
Also involved in the Flunkbusters
campaign are WWBT 12, WXEX TV8,
and WTVR TV6, these tv channels,
along with many others in the area have
featured the campaign on talk shows,
released news bulletins, and ran com­mercials.
The Flunkbusters slogan is done in
the famous "Ghostbusters" fashion, it is
an "F" enclosed in a circle with a slash.
The slogan is on posters, buttons, and
T-shirts. It is hoped that the campaign
will catch on not just in the Richmond
area, but statewide and ultimately na­tionwide
as well. So if your grades don't
look good, who you gonna call?
FLUNKBUSTERSI
REFl.E~OI'lS II'III'IK -Page 1
..